The field of the invention is removable handles for mounting on the handles of a wheelchair.
Wheelchairs are made in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Most wheelchairs include two laterally spaced parallel handles extending rearwardly from the upper end of the back of the wheelchair. U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,773 teaches a typical wheelchair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,650 teaches a removable handle which mounts on the handles of a wheelchair in order to permit an attendant to maneuver the wheelchair from a location behind and above the back of the wheelchair. The removable handle includes a handgrip crossbar, two support post each of which is connected with one of the ends of the crossbar, two mounting members which are connected with the support posts in spaced parallel relation. Each mounting members has pins at the distal ends for insertion into the open end of each of the handles of the wheelchair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,055 teaches a push bar for use with a collapsible wheelchair which is adapted for quick disconnect and engagement with hand grips of wheelchairs of a plurality of sizes. The push bar permits an attendant to push the wheelchair with one hand leaving his other hand free to perform other necessary tasks. The push bar includes an elongated bar with hollow sleeve adapters at opposite ends. Each sleeve adapter has a positive locking device. Each of the sleeve adapters receives one of the grip handles in spatial relationship and extends rearwardly in a horizontal plane from the back of the collapsible wheelchair. The push bar eliminates the need to twist a user's wrist thereby making pushing the heavy weight of a patient in wheelchair much easier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,357 teaches an adaptor handle for use on a wheelchair which has two handles. The two handles are spaced apart and are for use in both applying propulsion forces amd steering. The adaptor handle includes an arm, two clamps and a single handgrip. The arm extends in use between the two handles of the wheelchair. Each clamp is adjacent to the end of each of the handles and enables the arm to be coupled onto the two handles. The single handgrip extends substantially from the center of the arm.
Both U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,697 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,648 teach an adapter handle for use on wheelchair which has two spaced-apart handles for application of propulsion forces and steering formed by an elongated arm extensible between the spaced-apart handles of the wheelchair. The adapter handle includes a clamp adjacent to each end thereof to enable the adaptor handle to be rapidly coupled onto the spaced-apart handles and a single hand grip extending substantially from the center of the arm. The clamps are formed as over-center latches having plural contact shoes and shoe spacers which allow the adaptor handle to be used on wheelchair having differing sized handle grips. Additionally, one or more auxiliary hooks are provided to enable storage of desired items upon the adaptor handle during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,816 teaches a wheelchair which includes a body portion, back wheels and front wheels. The wheels are fastened to the body portion. The body portion includes side supports, upper supports and lower supports, and a seat portion is positioned between the side supports, a back in connection with the upper supports, and a foot support in connection with the lower supports. The back wheels of the wheelchair are detachable and the body portion is foldable when the wheelchair is changed from the using position to the transporting position. The side supports are formed by two elongated members: an upper and a lower part, respectively, which extend roughly horizontally in the transporting position, and a front and a back part, respectively, which interconnect the horizontal parts and are shorter than the horizontal parts. The connection points between the parts and the upper support and the side supports are provided with joints, at which points the body portion is foldable to the transporting position. The joint between the upper part of the side support and the front part a thereof and the joint between the lower part the back part are supporting joints. At least one joint of the two side supports is provided with a sleeve, which sleeve is displaceable on the joint in the using position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,072 teaches a collapsible wheelchair and a lift assembly which is permanently mountable in a vehicle and operable for moving the wheelchair and an occupant thereof between the interior and the exterior of the vehicle. The wheelchair includes a chair member and a pair of enlarged rear wheels on the chair member which are operable for movably supporting the rear portion of the chair member on a supporting surface when the chair member is in the erected position thereof. The wheelchair is movable to a collapsed position wherein one of the rear wheels is positioned behind the back portion of the chair member in substantially parallel relation therewith and the other rear wheel is positioned beneath the seat portion of the chair member in substantially parallel relation therewith. When the wheelchair is in the collapsed position, it has a reduced overall profile to enable the wheelchair and an occupant thereof to be effectively moved between the interior and the exterior of a vehicle with the lift assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,921 teaches a wheelchair which includes a substantially rigid seat adapted to be mounted on at least two alternative types of carriages having different drive arrangements. Each carriage includes a pair of molded plastic side frames which are interconnected by a bracing mechanism to permit the side frames to be folded together for collapsing the chair or spread apart for erecting the chair. A connecting system including locators which allow the seat to be placed on an approximately fully spread carriage and then to locate the side frames at the correct spacing from one another in order to ensure complete spreading of the carriage, and additionally retainers which allow the seat to be moved into a position in which it cannot be lifted from the thus spread carriage, the retainers allow positive engagement of the seat with the chair with the ability to spread the carriage solely by downward pressure on the seat, thereby enabling a disabled user of the wheelchair to be able to place the seat on the carriage ready for use. A locking assembly prevents the seat from movement so as to disengage the retainers and retain the seat and the carriage in engaged configuration.